Head-up display device, display control device, and display system for vehicle

Abstract

To enable a driver to visually recognize a route change point, such as an intersection, accurately and intuitively.SOLUTION: A head-up display device (HUD device 100) includes: an image display section 120 that displays a first virtual image (route image) superimposed and displayed on a road surface, and a second virtual image (AR image) whose display position changes along the first virtual image and which is displayed to be stagnant near a bending point when a vehicle approaches a route change point; and a control section 110 that controls the image display section to display the second virtual image in a first display mode in which it is visually recognized to float upward in parallel along the road surface when the vehicle is moving toward the route change point, and generate a second virtual image by adding a thickness in a direction opposite to a traveling direction indicated by the arrowhead portion of the first virtual image and display in a second display mode in which the second virtual image is visually recognized to float vertically along the first virtual image when the vehicle approaches the route change point.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a head-up display device that is used in a moving body such as a vehicle and that allows a virtual display object (virtual image) to be visually recognized by being superimposed on the foreground of the moving body. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a head-up display device (hereinafter, simply referred to as HUD device) that uses a virtual display object (virtual image) to enhance expressiveness in the depth direction (front-rear direction of the vehicle) (the inclined imaging surface (display area) allows the viewer to feel depth), and allows intuitive information presentation to the viewer. This HUD device places a virtual image at a predetermined position in the depth, top, bottom, left, and right directions in the space of the foreground (the real view in the forward direction as seen by the viewer of the vehicle), and forms an augmented reality (AR) in which the virtual image is added to the real scenery (foreground) such as the road surface and displayed.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a navigation device that displays the vehicle's travel route on a HUD device as a destination guide image (guide lines 20 in FIG. 2), gradually enlarges and displays a bird's-eye view map of the area ahead of the vehicle as the vehicle approaches a guide point, and when the vehicle approaches further, stops enlarging the map and displays a destination direction image (27 in FIG. 2: AR display with arrow marks) showing the route to the guide point where the guide lines are displayed. Note that "map display" here refers to a display form that displays a map and displays the vehicle's travel route on this map, and AR display refers to a display form that displays navigation information on actual scenery, etc., to form an augmented reality that provides route guidance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. WO2021 / 132553 Summary of the Invention

[0005] However, when providing route guidance using the technology described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem in that it is difficult to accurately and intuitively grasp the points where a right or left turn is required depending on the distance to a lane change point such as an intersection, and as a result, the route may be misrecognized.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and has an object to provide a head-up display device or the like that enables the driver, who is the viewer, to accurately and intuitively visually recognize lane change points such as intersections.

[0007] Other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art by referring to the following exemplary aspects and best modes, as well as the accompanying drawings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to facilitate an understanding of the outline of the present invention, embodiments according to the present invention will be exemplified below.

[0009] The first aspect is a head-up display device that projects and displays a virtual image superimposed on a foreground in a display area that is an imaging surface virtually set in front of a vehicle, and displays a first virtual image that has a bending point near a lane change point of the vehicle, is made of an arrow shaft portion extending toward the bending point, and indicates the traveling direction of the vehicle, and is displayed superimposed on a road surface; and a second virtual image that changes its display position along the first virtual image, and is displayed stagnantly near the bending point when the vehicle approaches the lane change point. The vehicle is provided with an image display unit, and a control unit that performs control to display the second virtual image on the image display unit in a first display mode in which the second virtual image is perceived to be floating upward parallel to the road surface when the vehicle is moving toward the lane change point, and to generate the second virtual image by adding thickness in a direction opposite to the traveling direction indicated by the arrowhead portion of the first virtual image when the vehicle is approaching the lane change point, and to display the second virtual image on the image display unit in a second display mode in which the second virtual image is perceived to be floating vertically along the first virtual image when the vehicle is moving toward the lane change point.

[0010] Here, the "first virtual image" refers to a route image Gu1 that has a bend be near a course change point such as an intersection through which the vehicle passes, and is composed of an arrow shaft (shaft s) portion extending toward the bend be and an arrowhead (arrowhead ah) portion showing the traveling direction of the vehicle via the bend be, and is displayed superimposed on the road surface, as shown in, for example, FIG. 4(a) and (b), and FIG. 5(a) and (b). The arrowhead (arrowhead ah) portion is not essential. The "second virtual image" refers to AR images Gu2 and Gu3 that change display position along the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and are displayed stagnantly near the bend be of the first virtual image (route image) when the vehicle approaches a course change point such as an intersection. The AR images Gu2 and Gu3 are composed of one or more arrowheads (ah) that are visually perceived as floating above the road surface near the bend point be of the route image Gu1 (a lane change point such as an intersection). A "lane change point" refers to a right or left turn point such as an intersection, a T-junction, or a curve that a vehicle traveling toward a destination passes through.

[0011] According to the first aspect, when the vehicle is moving toward a lane change point such as an intersection, the control unit performs control to generate a second virtual image with thickness in the opposite direction to the traveling direction indicated by the arrowhead of the first virtual image, and to display the second virtual image on the image display unit in a second display mode (for example, see Gu3 shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b)) in which the second virtual image is viewed as floating vertically along the first virtual image, when the vehicle is moving toward a lane change point such as an intersection, in a first display mode in which the second virtual image is viewed as floating parallel to the road surface (for example, see Gu3 shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b)). In this way, by performing control to change the display mode before and after approaching a lane change point such as an intersection, the driver, who is the viewer, can intuitively and more easily grasp the distance to the lane change point such as an intersection (the bending point of the first virtual image). In other words, a head-up display device can be provided that enables the viewer, the driver, to intuitively and correctly recognize the distance between the vehicle and a lane change point, such as an intersection where the vehicle needs to turn right or left, by using a second virtual image that has thickness and a sense of depth.

[0012] In addition, in a second aspect dependent on the first aspect, the control unit may perform control to display the second virtual image in the first display aspect when the vehicle's direction of travel and the direction of movement of the second virtual image are the same while the vehicle is moving toward the lane change point, and to display the second virtual image in the second display aspect when the vehicle approaches the lane change point and changes lane.

[0013] According to the second aspect, the control unit performs control such that, while the vehicle is moving toward a lane change point, if the traveling direction of the vehicle and the moving direction of the second virtual image are the same, the control unit displays the second virtual image in the first display mode, and when the vehicle approaches the lane change point and changes lane, the control unit displays the second virtual image in the second display mode. In this way, by displaying the second virtual image in different display modes when the vehicle is moving toward a lane change point such as an intersection and when the vehicle changes lane at the lane change point, and particularly by changing the second virtual image to an image having thickness in the front-rear direction when the vehicle approaches the lane change point, the driver, who is the viewer, can intuitively grasp the direction to go and can also intuitively and more easily recognize the distance to the lane change point (the bending point of the first virtual image) such as an intersection.

[0014] In addition, in a third aspect dependent on the first aspect, the control unit may perform control to display the second virtual image in the first display aspect when the vehicle's direction of travel and the direction of movement of the second virtual image are the same while the vehicle is moving toward the lane change point, and to display the second virtual image in the second display aspect when the vehicle approaches the lane change point and the second virtual image stagnates near the bend point.

[0015] According to the third aspect, the control unit performs control such that, when the vehicle is moving toward the lane change point and the traveling direction of the vehicle and the moving direction of the second virtual image are the same, the control unit displays the second virtual image in the first display mode, and when the vehicle approaches the lane change point and the second virtual image stops near the bending point, the control unit displays the second virtual image in the second display mode. In this way, by displaying the second virtual image in different display modes depending on whether the second virtual image stops near the bending point of the first virtual image or not, and particularly when the second virtual image stops near the bending point of the first virtual image, the second virtual image is changed to an image having thickness in the front-rear direction and displayed, the driver, who is the viewer, can intuitively grasp the direction to go, and can also intuitively and more easily recognize the distance between the bending point of the first virtual image (a lane change point such as an intersection) and the bending point of the first virtual image.

[0016] A fourth aspect is a display control device including a processing device to which a head-up display device that projects and displays a virtual image superimposed on a foreground in a display area that is an image formation surface virtually set in front of a vehicle is connected, the processing device displays a first virtual image that has a bending point near a lane change point of the vehicle, is made of an arrow shaft portion extending toward the bending point, and indicates the traveling direction of the vehicle, and is displayed superimposed on a road surface, and a display position changes along the first virtual image, and when the vehicle approaches the lane change point, the display stops near the bending point and is displayed. and a second virtual image generated by the head-up display device, and when the vehicle is moving toward the lane change point, the second virtual image is displayed in a first display mode in which the second virtual image is perceived as floating upward parallel to the road surface, and when the vehicle is approaching the lane change point, the second virtual image is generated by adding thickness in a direction opposite to the traveling direction indicated by the arrowhead portion of the first virtual image, and the second virtual image is displayed on the image display unit in a second display mode in which the second virtual image is perceived as floating vertically along the first virtual image.

[0017] According to the fourth aspect, when the vehicle is moving toward a lane change point such as an intersection, the processing device performs control to generate a second virtual image in a first display mode (for example, see Gu2 shown in FIG. 4(a)(b)) in which the second virtual image is perceived as floating upward parallel to the road surface, and when the vehicle approaches the lane change point, the processing device performs control to generate a second virtual image in which thickness is added in the opposite direction to the traveling direction indicated by the arrowhead part of the first virtual image, and to display the second virtual image on the head-up display device in a second display mode (for example, see Gu3 shown in FIG. 5(a) and (b)) in which the second virtual image is perceived as floating vertically along the first virtual image. In this way, by performing control to change the display mode before and after approaching a lane change point such as an intersection, the driver, who is the viewer, can intuitively and more easily grasp the distance to the lane change point such as an intersection (the bending point of the first virtual image). In other words, a display control device can be provided that enables the viewer, the driver, to intuitively and correctly recognize the distance between the vehicle and a lane change point, such as an intersection where the vehicle should turn right or left, by using a second virtual image that has thickness and a sense of depth.

[0018] A fifth aspect is a display system for a vehicle having a head-up display device that projects and displays a virtual image superimposed on a foreground in a display area that is an imaging surface virtually set in front of a vehicle, a display control device that generates the virtual image and controls the display on the head-up display device, and a navigation device that provides route guidance information to the display control device, in which the display control device displays a first virtual image that has a bending point near a lane change point of the vehicle and is made of an arrow shaft portion extending toward the bending point and indicates the traveling direction of the vehicle, the first virtual image being displayed superimposed on a road surface, and the display position of the first virtual image being changed along with the first virtual image, and the first virtual image being displayed in a forward direction. and a second virtual image that is displayed stationary near the bend point when the vehicle approaches the lane change point. When the vehicle is moving toward the lane change point, the second virtual image is displayed in a first display mode in which it is perceived to be floating upward parallel to the road surface, and when the vehicle approaches the lane change point, the second virtual image is generated by adding thickness in the opposite direction to the traveling direction indicated by the arrowhead portion of the first virtual image, and the second virtual image is displayed on the image display unit in a second display mode in which it is perceived to be floating vertically along the first virtual image.

[0019] According to the fifth aspect, when the vehicle is moving toward a lane change point such as an intersection, the display control device performs control to generate a second virtual image having thickness in a direction opposite to the traveling direction indicated by the arrowhead of the first virtual image, and to display the second virtual image on the head-up display device as a second display mode (for example, see Gu3' shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b)) in which the second virtual image is viewed as floating vertically along the first virtual image, when the vehicle is moving toward a lane change point such as an intersection, in a first display mode in which the second virtual image is viewed as floating parallel to the road surface (for example, see Gu3' shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b)). In this way, by performing control to change the display mode before and after approaching a lane change point such as an intersection, the driver, who is the viewer, can intuitively and more easily grasp the distance to the lane change point such as an intersection (the bending point of the first virtual image). In other words, a display system for a vehicle can be provided that enables the viewer, the driver, to intuitively and correctly recognize the distance between the vehicle and a lane change point, such as an intersection where the vehicle needs to turn right or left, by using a second virtual image that has thickness and a sense of depth.

[0020] Those skilled in the art will easily understand that the exemplified embodiments according to the present invention can be further modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows an example of application of a head-up display device of this embodiment to a vehicle, and is a diagram cited for explaining the relationship between the driver's eye position and an imaging surface (display area) that is virtually set in front of the vehicle. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle display system including the head-up display device of this embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the head-up display device of the present embodiment. [Figure 4]Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of a head-up display device of this embodiment, where Figure 4(a) is a diagram showing a first display mode in which the second virtual image is perceived as floating upward parallel to the road surface, and Figure 4(b) is a diagram showing an overhead view of the second virtual image moving along the first virtual image. [Diagram 5] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of a head-up display device of this embodiment, where Figure 5(a) is a diagram showing a second display mode in which the second virtual image is viewed as floating vertically along the first virtual image, and Figure 5(b) is a diagram showing the second virtual image in the second display mode as viewed from directly to the side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] The best mode described below is used to easily understand the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art should be aware that the present invention is not unduly limited by the mode described below (hereinafter, referred to as the present mode).

[0023] Hereinafter, a vehicle display system 1000 including a head-up display device (hereinafter, referred to as an HUD device 100 unless otherwise specified) according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] (Configuration of the embodiment) FIG. 1 shows an example of application of a HUD device 100 of this embodiment to a vehicle 1, and is a diagram cited to explain the relationship between the driver's eye position and a display area, which is an imaging surface virtually set in front of the vehicle.

[0025] In the following description, when a driver 4, who is a viewer of the HUD device 100 seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle 1, faces forward of the vehicle 1, the left-right direction is the X-axis (the left direction is the X-axis positive direction), the up-down direction is the Y-axis (the up direction is the Y-axis positive direction), and the front-rear direction is the Z-axis (the forward direction is the Z-axis positive direction).

[0026] Please refer to Fig. 1. The HUD device 100 of this embodiment is provided in the dashboard 5 of the vehicle 1, and includes a control unit 110 and an image display unit 120 (within the dashed line frame). The HUD device 100 emits display light L toward the front windshield 2 (an example of a projection target member), and allows the image to be viewed in a display area VA, which is an imaging surface that is virtually set forward of the front windshield 2 (in the positive direction of the Z axis). This allows the driver 4, who is the viewer, to view an image (virtual image) superimposed on the foreground FV, which is a real space viewed through the front windshield 2.

[0027] The display area VA is a plane, curved, or partially curved area on which an image generated inside the HUD device 100 is formed as a virtual image, and is also called an imaging surface. The display area VA itself has low visibility to the extent that it is not actually visible to the driver 4, or is difficult to be seen. In the display area VA, the angle (tilt angle θt) between the horizontal direction (XZ plane) with the left-right direction (X-axis direction) of the vehicle 1 as an axis, the angle between the line segment connecting the center of the eye box (the eye position of the driver 4) and the upper end of the display area VA, and the angle between the line segment connecting the center of the eye box (the eye position of the driver 4) and the lower end of the display area VA are set as the vertical angle of view, and the angle (vertical arrangement θv) between the bisector of this vertical angle of view and the horizontal direction (XZ plane) is set.

[0028] The eyebox is an area that is set to be the same as the area (also called the iris) where the eye position (center of the eyebox) of the driver 4 in the vehicle cabin is expected to be located, or to include a large part of it (e.g., 80% or more). For this reason, the eyebox is: (1) an area in which the entire virtual image can be seen, and a part of it cannot be seen outside the area; (2) an area in which at least a part of the virtual image can be seen, and no part of it can be seen outside the area; (3) an area in which at least a part of the virtual image can be seen with a predetermined brightness (e.g., about 1 / 50 of the brightness of the virtual image of the image seen at the center of the eyebox) or more, and the entire virtual image is below the predetermined brightness outside the area; and (4) an area in which at least a part of the virtual image can be seen stereoscopically, and no part of the virtual image can be seen stereoscopically outside the area, when a stereoscopically viewable virtual image can be displayed. That is, if the driver 4 places both eyes outside the eyebox, the driver 4 cannot see the entire virtual image, the visibility of the virtual image is very low and it is difficult to perceive, or the virtual image cannot be viewed stereoscopically.

[0029] The image display unit 120 has a display surface for displaying an image, and includes, for example, a liquid crystal display 121 and a relay optical system 122. The liquid crystal display 121 may be a transmissive display that transmits light from a backlight (not shown), or a projection display that projects an image (virtual image) onto a screen. In these cases, the display surface is the display surface of the transmissive display, and is the screen of the projection display. The liquid crystal display 121 may be equipped with an actuator (not shown) such as a motor controlled by the control unit 110, and may be rotatable.

[0030] The relay optical system 122 is disposed on the optical path of light (display light L) of an image (virtual image) from the liquid crystal display 121 between the liquid crystal display 121 and the front windshield 2, and is composed of one or more optical members that project the display light L of the image (virtual image) from the liquid crystal display 121 onto the front windshield 2 outside the image display unit 120. The relay optical system 122 includes at least one concave mirror, and may additionally include, for example, one or more refractive optical members such as lenses, diffractive optical members such as holograms, reflective optical members, or a combination of these.

[0031] The relay optical system 122 may be rotatable by being fitted with an actuator (not shown) such as a motor controlled by the control unit 110. Specifically, while the vehicular display system 1000 is stopped, the actuator can change the position and angle of the relay optical system 122 so that sunlight from the outside is not directed toward the liquid crystal display 121 through the relay optical system 122, and while the vehicular display system 1000 is operating, the actuator can change the position and angle of the relay optical system 122 so that the display light of an image from the liquid crystal display 121 is projected onto a predetermined position on the front windshield 2.

[0032] The image display unit 120 can change the angle (tilt angle θt) between the display area VA and the driving lane of the vehicle 1 by driving the actuator described above.

[0033] The tilt angle θt is set to an angle such that the upper part (the part in the positive Y-axis direction) of the display area VA as seen by the driver 4 is located farther from the driver 4 than the lower part (the part in the negative Y-axis direction) so as to be aligned with a horizontal plane (for example, the road surface of the driving lane on which the vehicle 1 is traveling). The tilt angle θt does not have to be 0 [degree] (the display area VA and the road surface are parallel), and is preferably set to less than 20 [degree], and is adjusted to a preset angle (or adjusted to be within a preset angle range). However, the set value of the tilt angle θt may be arbitrarily changeable by the driver 4.

[0034] Moreover, the vertical arrangement angle θv is set to an angle such that all or most of the display area VA is arranged below the horizontal direction. The vertical arrangement angle θv is typically set to less than 5 degrees below the horizontal direction, and is adjusted to a preset angle (or adjusted to be within a preset angle range). However, the set value of the vertical arrangement angle θv may be arbitrarily changeable by the driver 4.

[0035] The control unit 110 includes table data associating the vertical arrangement angle θv of the display area VA with the drive amount of the actuator, and table data associating the tilt angle θt of the display area VA with the drive amount of the actuator. Using these table data, the control unit 110 can drive each actuator so as to achieve the set tilt angle θt and vertical arrangement angle θv.

[0036] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicular display system 1000 including the HUD device 100. As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicular display system 1000 includes a display control device 300 and a navigation device 400, which are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other bidirectionally via an I / O interface 500. A behavior sensor 401, a camera 402, a LiADR (Light Detection And Ranging) 403, an eye position sensor 404, etc. are further connected to the I / O interface 500.

[0037] The display control device 300 includes a processing device (hereinafter, referred to as a processor 200) and the HUD device 100. The processor 200 controls the interface with the navigation device 400 connected to the I / O interface 500 or various sensors 401 to 404, and in addition, the processor 200 can control the HUD device 100 to display a first virtual image superimposed on the road surface and a second virtual image moved along the first virtual image and stopped near a turning point when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point, and when the vehicle 1 is moving toward the lane change point, the second virtual image is displayed in a first display mode (see AR image Gu2 in Fig. 4(a)(b) described later) in which the second virtual image is visually perceived as floating upward parallel to the road surface, and when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point, a second virtual image is generated in which thickness is added in the opposite direction to the traveling direction indicated by the arrowhead part of the first virtual image, and the second virtual image is displayed on the image display unit 120 in a second display mode (see Fig. 5(a)(b) described later) in which the second virtual image is visually perceived as floating vertically along the first virtual image. Details will be described later.

[0038] Here, the "first virtual image" is, for example, as shown in FIG. 4(a) and FIG. 4(b), a route image Gu1 that has a bend be near a course change point such as an intersection, and is composed of an arrow shaft (s) portion extending toward the bend be and an arrowhead (ah) portion showing the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 via the bend be, and is displayed superimposed on the road surface. The arrowhead (ah) portion is not essential. The "second virtual image" is, for example, as shown in FIG. 4(a), FIG. 4(b), FIG. 5(a), and FIG. 5(b), AR images Gu2 and Gu3 whose display position changes along the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and which stagnate near the bend be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) when the vehicle approaches a course change point such as an intersection. The "course change point" is an intersection point through which a vehicle traveling toward a destination passes, or a right or left turn point such as a T-junction or a curve.

[0039] As described with reference to FIG. 1, the HUD device 100 includes a control unit 110 and an image display unit 120, and the image display unit 120 includes a liquid crystal display 121 and a relay optical system 122.

[0040] When the vehicle 1 is moving toward a lane change point such as an intersection, the control unit 110 generates a second virtual image (AR image Gu2) in a first display mode (see AR image Gu2 in Figures 4(a) and (b)) in which the second virtual image is perceived as floating upward parallel to the road surface, and when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point, the control unit 110 generates a second virtual image (AR image Gu3) in which thickness is added in the opposite direction to the direction of travel indicated by the arrowhead (flow head ah) portion of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and controls the image display unit 120 to display the second virtual image (AR image Gu3) in a second display mode (see AR image Gu3 in Figures 5(a) and (b)) in which the second virtual image is perceived as floating vertically along the first virtual image.

[0041] In addition, the control unit 110 may perform control such that when the vehicle 1 is moving toward a lane change point such as an intersection and the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 and the direction of movement of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) are the same, the control unit 110 displays the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) in a first display mode (see AR image Gu2 in Figures 4(a) and (b)), and when the vehicle 1 approaches the lane change point and changes lane, the control unit 110 displays the second virtual image in a second display mode (see AR image Gu3 in Figures 5(a) and (b)).

[0042] In addition, when the vehicle 1 is moving toward a course change point such as an intersection, if the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 and the moving direction of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) are the same, the control unit 110 may perform control to display the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) in a first display mode (see AR image Gu2 in FIG. 4(a)(b)), and when the vehicle 1 approaches the course change point and the second virtual image (AR image Gu3) stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), the control unit 110 may perform control to display the second virtual image (AR image Gu3) in a second display mode (see AR image Gu3 in FIG. 5(a)(b)). Note that the vicinity of the bending point be where the route image Gu1 stops cannot be uniquely defined because it is determined depending on the angle of view of the HUD device 100, but it refers to a distance of 30 m from the current position of the vehicle 1 before the bending point, for example.

[0043] In the first display mode, when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is displayed, the control unit 110 may perform control to project and display a shadow image Sh1 (see FIG. 4(a)) of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) onto the first virtual image (route image Gu1). In this case, when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point such as an intersection and the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is stopped near the bend point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), the control unit 110 performs control to stop the projection of the shadow image Sh1. This makes it possible to more easily and intuitively grasp the distance to the lane change point (the distance to the bend point be of the route image Gu1).

[0044] Furthermore, the control unit 110 may control the display attributes of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) or the shadow image (Sh1) of the second virtual image to express a sense of distance between the vehicle 1 and a course change point such as an intersection until the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) moves along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1). When the control unit 110 moves the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), for example, the control unit 110 gradually brings the color of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) closer to the hue of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), thereby allowing the driver, who is the viewer, to easily recognize that the vehicle is gradually approaching a course change point such as an intersection.

[0045] In order to perform the above-mentioned control, the control unit 110 includes, for example, a processor with built-in memory (ROM / RAM) or an external processor, and a graphics controller that draws the first virtual image (root image Gu1) and the second virtual image (AR images Gu2, Gu3) generated by the processor 200 in a VRAM (Video RAM) allocated to a predetermined area of ​​the RAM and displays them on the image display unit 120 according to the display timing, and the processor executes the programs recorded in the ROM to execute each of the above-mentioned functions. Also, at least a part of the above-mentioned functions can be realized by hardware such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or a logic circuit, without using a processor.

[0046] The image display unit 120 is controlled by the control unit 110 described above, and, for example, as shown in Figures 4(a) and (b), has a bend point be near a lane change point such as an intersection through which the vehicle 1 passes, and is composed of an arrow shaft portion (shaft s) extending toward the bend point be and an arrowhead portion (arrowhead ah) indicating the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 via the bend point be, and displays a first virtual image (route image Gu1) superimposed on the road surface, and a second virtual image (AR images Gu2, Gu3) whose display position changes along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and which stagnates near the bend point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) when the vehicle 1 approaches the lane change point.

[0047] Here, a supplementary explanation will be given on the AR images Gu2 and Gu3 displayed as the second virtual image. The AR images Gu2 and Gu3 used in this embodiment are marks indicating the course direction displayed in the field of view (FOV) of the HUD device 100 of this embodiment in association with the route image Gu1. The marks are composed of one or more arrowheads (ah) positioned parallel or perpendicular to the road surface at a course change point such as an intersection, indicating the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, and are displayed relatively small when the vehicle 1 is located away from the course change point, and relatively large when the vehicle 1 approaches the course change point. Compared to an AR image represented by a normal arrow image, the arrowhead (shaft s) is not required, so the display area in the field of view is reduced, and visibility can be improved without obstructing the forward view. In addition, for example, as shown in FIG. 5(a), information other than the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 can be expressed by configuring the arrowhead (arrowhead Ah) with two or more arrowhead elements.

[0048] The navigation device 400 uses a behavior sensor 401 (described later) or a built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) or other Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or gyro sensor to obtain map data from built-in map data or by wireless communication with the outside of the vehicle, and performs information processing such as guidance to facilities in the vicinity of the vehicle 1 and route guidance. Then, based on the results of this information processing, for example, when it is detected that the vehicle 1 is approaching an intersection where it should turn, a signal for prompting display output based on the results of this information processing is transferred to the display control device 300 (HUD device 100) via the I / O interface 500 at an appropriate timing.

[0049] As described above, the navigation device 400 has map data. The map data can be acquired and stored as the latest map data by communication with an external center (not shown) via a V2X (Vehicle to X) type communication system (not shown). Here, the map data is mapping data that is digitized to represent the driving environment of the vehicle 1. The mapping data is preferably digital data of a particularly high-precision dynamic map. Note that a dynamic map is a digital map that combines a huge amount of dynamic information that changes from moment to moment, such as traffic regulations, construction information, accidents, congestion, pedestrians, and traffic lights information, with static information such as high-precision three-dimensional position information (road surface information, lane information, three-dimensional structures).

[0050] The behavior sensor 401 includes an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) vehicle speed sensor that detects the behavior of the vehicle 1, or a steering angle sensor that detects the steering angle of the steering wheel. The IMU uses a three-axis acceleration sensor and a three-axis angular velocity sensor (gyro sensor) to measure the driving situation and attitude of the vehicle (acceleration [m / s 2 The motion sensor 401 can detect translational motion in three axial directions from the velocity [deg / s] and rotational motion from the angular velocity [deg / s]. Information recognized or detected by the motion sensor 401 is transferred to the navigation device 400 and the display control device 300 (HUD device 100) via the I / O interface 500.

[0051] In addition to the above-mentioned behavior sensor 401, the vehicular display system 1000 has a camera 402 that recognizes the surrounding driving environment including the front of the vehicle 1, a LiDAR 403, and an eye position sensor 404. The camera 402 captures at least the front field of view (actual scene) of the vehicle 10, and the LiDAR 403 uses near-infrared light, visible light, or ultraviolet light to irradiate light onto, for example, an obstacle or the like present in front of the vehicle 1 captured by the camera 402, captures the reflected light with an optical sensor, and determines the distance to the obstacle based on the time difference.

[0052] The eye position sensor 404 is composed of an infrared camera or the like that detects the eye position of the driver 4. The display control device 300 (processing device 200) acquires an image captured by the infrared camera (one example of information from which the eye position can be estimated) and can identify the eye position of the driver 4 by analyzing this captured image. Note that the processing device 200 may acquire information on the eye position of the driver 4 identified from the image captured by the infrared camera from the I / O interface 500. Note that the method of acquiring the eye position of the driver 4 of the vehicle 1 or information from which the eye position of the driver 4 can be estimated is not limited to these, and may be acquired using a known eye position detection (estimation) technology.

[0053] The I / O interface 500 communicates (also referred to as CAN communication) with other components (reference numerals 400 to 404) via an ECU (not shown) provided in the vehicle 1 in addition to the display control device 300 according to, for example, the CAN (Controller Area Network) standard. Note that the communication standard adopted by the I / O interface 500 is not limited to CAN, and includes, for example, wired communication interfaces such as CANFD (CAN with Flexible Data Rate), LIN (Local Interconnect Network), Ethernet (registered trademark), MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport: MOST is a registered trademark), UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter), or USB (Universal Serial Bus), or in-vehicle communication (internal communication) interfaces that are short-range wireless communication interfaces within several tens of meters, such as a personal area network (PAN) such as a Bluetooth (registered trademark) network, or a local area network (LAN) such as an 802.11x Wi-Fi (registered trademark) network.

[0054] In addition, the I / O interface 500 may include an external communication (external communication) interface such as a wide area communication network (e.g., an Internet communication network) based on cellular communication standards such as a wireless wide area network (WWAN0, IEEE802.16-2004 (WiMAX: Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access)), IEEE802.16e-based (Mobile WiMAX), 4G, 4G-LTE, LTE Advanced, and 5G.

[0055] (Operation of the embodiment) FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the HUD device 100 of this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the HUD device 100 of this embodiment, in which FIG. 4(a) shows a first display mode in which the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is visually recognized as floating upward parallel to the road surface, and FIG. 4(b) shows a diagram of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) moving along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) viewed from above. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the screen configuration of the HUD device 100 of this embodiment, in which FIG. 5(a) shows a second display mode in which the second virtual image (AR image Gu3) is visually recognized as floating vertically along the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and FIG. 5(b) shows a diagram of the second virtual image (AR image Gu3) viewed from the side in the second display mode.

[0056] Hereinafter, the operation of the vehicular display system 1000 shown in FIG. 2, mainly the operation of the HUD device 100, will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0057] First, the navigation device 400 displays a map including the current position of the vehicle 1 on the image display unit 120 (liquid crystal display 121) of the HUD device 100 via the display control device 300. In addition, a guide route to a set destination is displayed on the map, and an image showing the course change direction before a course change point based on the guide route is displayed, and an enlarged map of the vicinity of an intersection is displayed to provide route guidance on the screen.

[0058] For this reason, the HUD device 100 (control unit 110) monitors whether or not a guide route is searched for by the navigation device 400 (step ST01), and if a guide route is searched for (step ST01 "YES"), displays a map in the form of a bird's-eye view at a predetermined scale (a scale set by default) on the image display unit 120 (step ST02). Next, when the vehicle 1 moves according to the guide route determined by the navigation device 400 and approaches a course change point such as an intersection, the control unit 110 compares the remaining distance to the intersection with a display switching threshold (step ST03).

[0059] Here, the "display switching threshold" indicates the remaining distance when switching the display from a map display at a predetermined scale to a screen displaying an enlarged route image Gu2 in the vicinity of the lane change point, as shown in FIG. 4(a), and when the lane change point, such as an intersection, approaches within an area that can be displayed on the display screen of the image display unit 120, for example, 300 m before the lane change point is used as the display switching threshold.

[0060] When the remaining distance to a course change point such as an intersection reaches the display switching threshold (step ST03 “YES”), the control unit 110 enlarges the scale of the map and enlarges and displays the course change point such as an intersection together with the surrounding map on the image display unit 120. At the same time, the control unit 110 also performs control to superimpose and display the route image Gu1 on the road surface and display the AR image Gu2 along the road surface (step ST04). Examples of the route image Gu1 and AR image GU2 displayed at this time are shown in Figs. 4(a)(b) and 5(a)(b).

[0061] As shown in Fig. 4(a)(b), the route image Gu1 has a bend point be near a lane change point of the vehicle 1, and is displayed superimposed on the road surface, consisting of an arrow shaft (s) portion extending toward the bend point be and an arrowhead (ah) portion indicating the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 via the bend point be. Also, as shown in Fig. 4(a)(b), the display position of the AR image Gu2 changes along the route image Gu1, and when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point such as an intersection, the display mode of the AR image Gu2 changes as shown in Fig. 5(a)(b), and the AR image Gu2 is displayed as an AR image Gu3, stagnating near the bend point be of the route image Gu1.

[0062] In step ST03, if the remaining distance to the course change point such as an intersection does not reach the display switching threshold (step ST03 "NO"), the control unit 110 repeatedly executes the process of step ST02 until the remaining distance reaches the display switching threshold.

[0063] When displaying the AR image Gu2 on the image display unit 120, the control unit 110 first determines whether the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is the same as the moving direction of the AR image (step ST05). If it is determined that the vehicle 1 is moving toward a lane change point such as an intersection and the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is the same as the moving direction of the AR image (step ST05 "YES"), the control unit 110 controls the image display unit 120 to display the AR image Gu2 in a first display mode in which the image is visually recognized as floating upward parallel to the road surface (step ST06). An example of the screen configuration in this case is shown in Fig. 4 (a) and (b).

[0064] When displaying the AR image Gu2 on the image display unit 120, the control unit 110 may perform control to generate a shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 until the vehicle 1 approaches a course change point such as an intersection and stops near a bending point be of the route image Gu1, and project and display the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 onto the route image Gu1, as shown in Fig. 4(a) and 4(b), for example. Note that Fig. 4(b) is a diagram showing an overhead view of the AR image Gu2 moving along the route image Gu1, and is shown to deepen understanding that the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2 is projected and displayed on the route image Gu1.

[0065] The control unit 110 further moves the AR image Gu2 along the route image Gu1 until the AR image Gu2 stops near the bending point be of the route image Gu1, by controlling the display attributes of the AR image Gu2 or the shadow image Sh1 of the AR image Gu2, thereby expressing the sense of distance between the vehicle 1 and the lane change point such as an intersection. For example, by gradually bringing the color of the AR image Gu2 closer to the hue of the route image Gu1, the driver 4 who is the viewer can easily grasp that the vehicle 1 is gradually approaching the lane change point. Note that the distance between the vehicle 1 and the lane change point such as an intersection can be intuitively and correctly recognized even by controlling the size, density, etc. of the shadow image Sh1.

[0066] On the other hand, if it is determined in step ST05 that the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 and the moving direction of the AR image are not the same (step ST05 "NO"), the control unit 110 further determines whether the vehicle 1 has approached a course change point such as an intersection and changed course, or whether the AR image Gu2 has stopped near the bend point be of the route image Gu1 (step ST07). Here, if it is determined that there has been a course change or the AR image Gu2 has stopped near the bend point be of the route image Gu1 (course change point) (step ST07 "YES"), the control unit 110 generates an AR image Gu3 that has a sense of depth by adding thickness in the opposite direction (to the right in the horizontal direction of the angle of view) to the traveling direction indicated by the arrowhead (ah) part of the route image Gu1, as shown in FIG. 5(a), for example (step ST08), and performs control to display the AR image Gu3 on the image display unit 120 as a second display mode that is visually recognized as floating vertically along the route image Gu1 (step ST09).

[0067] 5(b) shows a diagram of the AR image Gu3 displayed on the image display unit 120 in the second display mode when viewed from the side. As shown in FIG. 5(b), the AR image Gu3 is vertically floating on the route image Gu1 and viewed three-dimensionally, so that the driver 4 who is the viewer can intuitively and easily grasp that the vehicle 1 is approaching a course change point such as an intersection (near the bend point be of the route image Gu1). If it is determined in step ST07 that there is no course change or that the AR image Gu2 is not stagnant (step ST07 "NO"), it is determined that the vehicle 1 is not approaching the course change point, and the process returns to step ST05.

[0068] In this way, when the vehicle 1 is moving toward a lane change point such as an intersection, the control unit 110 generates an AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) in a first display mode in which the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) is perceived as floating upward parallel to the road surface (for example, see Gu2 shown in Figures 4(a) and (b)), and when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point, the control unit 110 generates an AR image Gu3 (second virtual image) with thickness added in the opposite direction (to the right of the angle of view) to the direction of travel indicated by the arrowhead ah portion of the route image Gu1 (first virtual image), and controls the image display unit 120 to display the AR image Gu3 (second virtual image) in a second display mode in which the AR image Gu3 (second virtual image) is perceived as floating vertically along the route image G1 (first virtual image) (for example, see Gu3 shown in Figures 5(a) and (b)).

[0069] Therefore, by controlling to change the display mode before and after approaching a lane change point such as an intersection, the driver 4, who is the viewer, can intuitively and more easily grasp the distance to the lane change point such as an intersection (the bending point be of the route image Gu1). In other words, the driver 4, who is the viewer, can intuitively and correctly recognize the sense of distance between the vehicle 1 and the lane change point such as an intersection where the vehicle 1 should turn right or left, by the AR image Gu3 (second virtual image) that is given thickness and has a sense of depth.

[0070] In addition, when the vehicle 1 is moving toward the lane change point and the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 and the direction of movement of the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) are the same, the control unit 110 controls to display the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) in a first display mode (see AR image Gu2 in Figures 4(a) and (b)), and when the vehicle 1 approaches the lane change point and changes lane, the control unit 110 controls to display the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) in a second display mode (see AR image Gu3 in Figures 5(a) and (b)). In this way, by displaying the AR images Gu2 and Gu3 (second virtual image) in different display modes when the vehicle 1 is heading toward a lane change point such as an intersection and when the vehicle has changed lane at the lane change point, and in particular by changing and displaying the AR image Gu3 (second virtual image) to an image having thickness in the front-to-rear direction when the vehicle approaches the lane change point, the driver 4, who is the viewer, can intuitively grasp the direction in which to proceed and can also intuitively and more clearly recognize the distance to the lane change point such as an intersection (the bend point be of the route image Gu1).

[0071] In addition, when the vehicle 1 is moving toward a lane change point and the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 and the direction of movement of the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) are the same, the control unit 110 controls to display the AR image (second virtual image) in a first display mode (see AR image Gu2 in Figures 4(a) and (b)), and when the vehicle 1 approaches the lane change point and the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) stagnates near the bending point, the control unit 110 controls to display the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) in a second display mode (see AR image Gu3 in Figures 5(a) and (b)). In this way, by displaying the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) in different display modes depending on whether the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) is stagnant near the bend point be of the route image Gu1 (first virtual image) or not, particularly when the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) is stagnant near the bend point be of the route image Gi1 (first virtual image), the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) is changed to and displayed as an AR image Gu3 having thickness in the front-to-rear direction, allowing the viewer, the driver, to intuitively grasp the direction in which to go, and also to intuitively and more clearly recognize the distance between the bend point be (a lane change point such as an intersection) of the route image Gu1 (first virtual image).

[0072] In addition, the control unit 110 displays the route image Gu1 (first virtual image) and the AR images Gu2 and Gu3 (second virtual images) on the image display unit 120, and for example, when the vehicle 1 is far from a lane change point such as an intersection, the image is displayed small to make it look far away (large-small perspective), and for example, the AR image Gu2 and its shadow image Sh1 are superimposed on the route image Gu1 to make the route image located below look farther away (superimposed perspective), and further, the AR image Gu2 is blurred (or its brightness is darkened or its size is made closer to the route image Gu1) as it moves along the route image to make it look far away (elimination perspective). Therefore, by combining these three pictorial techniques, the sense of distance (perspective) to a lane change point such as an intersection can be emphasized and presented to the driver 4, who is the viewer.

[0073] In this way, by controlling the display attributes of the AR images Gu2 and Gu3, the distance to the lane change point (the distance to the bend point be of the route image Gu1) can be more easily and intuitively grasped. In other words, the driver 4, who is the viewer, can intuitively and more correctly recognize the sense of distance between the vehicle 1 and a lane change point such as an intersection where a right or left turn should be made, by controlling the display attributes of the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) relative to the route image Gu1 (first virtual image).

[0074] (Modification) According to the above-described vehicular display system 1000, the HUD device 100 displays a route image Gu1 (first virtual image) superimposed on a road surface, and an AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) that moves along the route image Gu1 (first virtual image) and stops near a bend point be on the route image Gu1 when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point. When the vehicle 1 is moving toward the lane change point, the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) is displayed in a first display state in which the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) is visually recognized as floating upward parallel to the road surface. In the above description, the AR image Gu3 (second virtual image) is generated in a second display mode (see FIGS. 4(a) and (b)) in which the AR image Gu3 (second virtual image) is perceived as floating vertically along the route image (first virtual image) when the vehicle approaches a lane change point, and the AR image Gu3 (second virtual image) is displayed on the image display unit 120 in a second display mode (see FIGS. 5(a) and (b)) in which the AR image Gu3 (second virtual image) is perceived as floating vertically along the route image (first virtual image).

[0075] In contrast, the HUD device 100 is regarded simply as a display device, and the display control device 300 (processing device 200) displays a route image Gu1 (first virtual image) superimposed on the road surface, and an AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) that moves along the route image Gu1 (first virtual image) and stops near a bending point be on the route image Gu1 when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point, and when the vehicle 1 is moving toward the lane change point, the AR image Gu2 (second virtual image) is visually recognized as floating upward parallel to the road surface. In the first display mode (see AR image Gu2 in Fig. 4(a)(b)), when the vehicle approaches a lane change point, an AR image Gu3 (second virtual image) is generated by adding thickness in the opposite direction (to the right in the horizontal direction of the angle of view) to the traveling direction indicated by the arrowhead ah of the route image Gu1 (first virtual image), and the AR image Gu3 (second virtual image) is displayed on the HUD device 100 in a second display mode (see Fig. 5(a)(b)) in which the AR image Gu3 (second virtual image) is viewed as floating vertically along the route image (first virtual image). In other words, the processing device 200 of the display control device 300 can execute the above-mentioned series of controls by itself. In this case, the processing load on the HUD device 100 (control unit 110) can be reduced.

[0076] (Effects of the embodiment) As described above, the head-up display device of this embodiment is a head-up display device (HUD device 100) that projects and displays virtual images (route image Gu1, AR images Gu2, Gu3 (see FIGS. 4(a) and 5(a)) superimposed on the foreground in a display area VA, which is an imaging surface virtually set in front of the vehicle 1, as shown in FIG. 1. The HUD device 100 includes, for example, a first virtual image that has a bending point be in the vicinity of a lane change point of the vehicle 1, an arrow shaft (shaft s) extending toward the bending point be, and indicates the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, and is displayed superimposed on the road surface, and a second virtual image that changes its display position along the first virtual image and stops in the vicinity of the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) when the vehicle 1 approaches the lane change point, as shown in FIG. 4(a). and a control unit 110 (see FIG. 2) that performs control to generate a second virtual image (AR image Gu3) having thickness added in the opposite direction (to the right in the horizontal direction of the angle of view) to the traveling direction indicated by the arrowhead ah portion of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and to display the second virtual image (AR image Gu3) on the image display unit 120 (see FIG. 2) in a second display mode (see FIG. 5(a)(b)) in which the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is perceived as floating upward parallel to the road surface when the vehicle 1 is moving toward a lane change point, and to generate a second virtual image (AR image Gu3) having thickness added in the opposite direction (to the right in the horizontal direction of the angle of view) to the traveling direction indicated by the arrowhead ah portion of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) when the vehicle 1 is approaching a lane change point.

[0077] According to the first aspect, when the vehicle 1 is moving toward a lane change point such as an intersection, the control unit 110 generates a second virtual image (AR image Gu2) in a first display mode in which the second virtual image is perceived as floating upward parallel to the road surface (for example, see Gu2 shown in Figures 4(a) and (b)), and when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point, the control unit 110 generates a second virtual image (AR image Gu3) with thickness added in the opposite direction (to the right of the horizontal angle of view) to the direction of travel indicated by the arrowhead ah portion of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and controls the image display unit 120 to display the second virtual image (AR image Gu3) in a second display mode in which the second virtual image is perceived as floating vertically along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) (for example, see Gu3 shown in Figures 5(a) and (b)). In this way, by controlling to change the display mode before and after approaching a lane change point such as an intersection, the driver 4, who is the viewer, can intuitively and more easily grasp the distance to the lane change point such as an intersection (the bending point be of the route image Gu1). In other words, it is possible to provide a head-up display device (HUD device 100) that enables the driver 4, who is the viewer, to intuitively and correctly recognize the sense of distance between the vehicle and a lane change point such as an intersection where the vehicle should turn right or left, by the second virtual image (AR image Gu3) that has been given thickness and has a sense of depth.

[0078] Furthermore, in the HUD device 100 of this embodiment, the control unit 110 may perform control such that when the vehicle 1 is moving toward a lane change point and the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 and the direction of movement of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) are the same, the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is displayed in a first display mode (see Figures 4(a) and (b)), and when the vehicle 1 approaches the lane change point and changes lane, the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is displayed in a second display mode (see Figures 5(a) and (b)).

[0079] According to the HUD device 100 of this embodiment, when the vehicle 1 is moving toward a lane change point, if the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 and the moving direction of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) are the same, the control unit 110 performs control to display the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) in a first display mode (see Figures 4(a)(b)), and when the vehicle 1 approaches the lane change point and changes lane, the control unit 110 performs control to display the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) in a second display mode (see Figures 5(a)(b)). In this way, by displaying the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) in different display modes when the vehicle 1 is heading toward a lane change point such as an intersection and when the vehicle has changed lane at the lane change point, and particularly by changing the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) to an image (AR image Gu3) having thickness in the front-to-rear direction when approaching the lane change point, the driver 4, who is the viewer, can intuitively grasp the direction in which to proceed and can also intuitively and more clearly recognize the distance to the lane change point such as an intersection (near the bend point be of the route image Gu1).

[0080] Furthermore, in the HUD device 100 of this embodiment, the control unit 110 may perform control to display the second virtual image in a first display mode (see Figures 4(a) and (b)) when the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 and the moving direction of the second virtual image are the same while the vehicle 1 is moving toward a lane change point, and to display the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) in a second display mode (see Figures 5(a) and (b)) when the vehicle 1 approaches the lane change point and the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) stops near the bend point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1).

[0081] According to the HUD device 100 of this embodiment, when the vehicle 1 is moving toward a lane change point and the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 and the direction of movement of the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) are the same, the control unit 110 performs control to display the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) in a first display mode (see Figures 4(a)(b)), and when the vehicle 1 approaches the lane change point and the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) stagnates near the bend point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), the control unit 110 performs control to display the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) in a second display mode (see Figures 5(a)(b)). In this way, by displaying the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) in different display modes depending on whether the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is stopped near the bend point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) or not, particularly when the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is stopped near the bend point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is changed to and displayed as an image (AR image Gu3) having thickness in the front-to-back direction, allowing the viewer, driver 4, to intuitively grasp the direction in which to proceed and also intuitively and more clearly recognize the distance between the bend point be near the bend point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) (a lane change point such as an intersection).

[0082] Furthermore, the display control device of this embodiment is a display control device 300 including a processing device 200 to which a head-up display device (HUD device 100) is connected that projects and displays virtual images (route image Gu1, AR images Gu2, Gu3) superimposed on the foreground in a display area VA, which is an imaging surface virtually set in front of the vehicle 1, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The display control device 300 has a processing device 200 that displays, on a head-up display device (HUD device 100), a first virtual image (route image Gu1) that has a bending point be in the vicinity of a lane change point of the vehicle 1, is made up of an arrow shaft (shaft s) extending toward the bending point be, and indicates the traveling direction of the vehicle, and is displayed superimposed on a road surface, as shown in FIG. 4(a), and a second virtual image (AR image Gu2) that changes its display position along the first virtual image and stops near the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) when the vehicle 1 approaches the lane change point, and when the vehicle 1 is moving toward the lane change point, In this case, the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is displayed in a first display mode (see Figures 4(a) and (b)) in which it is perceived as floating upward parallel to the road surface, and when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point, a second virtual image (AR image Gu3) is generated by adding thickness in the opposite direction (to the right side of the horizontal angle of view) to the direction of travel indicated by the arrowhead (ah) portion of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and the second virtual image (AR image Gu3) is displayed on the head-up display device (HUD device 100) in a second display mode (see Figures 5(a) and (b)) in which it is perceived as floating vertically along the first virtual image (route image Gu1).

[0083] According to the display control device 300 of this embodiment, when the vehicle 1 is moving toward a lane change point such as an intersection, the processing device 200 generates a second virtual image (AR image Gu2) in a first display mode (for example, see Gu2 shown in Figures 4(a) and (b)) in which the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is perceived as floating upward parallel to the road surface, and when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point, the processing device 200 generates a second virtual image (AR image Gu3) with thickness added in the opposite direction (to the right in the horizontal direction of the angle of view) to the direction of travel indicated by the arrowhead ah portion of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and controls the HUD device 100 to display the second virtual image (AR image Gu3) in a second display mode (for example, see Gu3 shown in Figures 5(a) and (b)) in which the second virtual image (AR image Gu3) is perceived as floating vertically along the first virtual image (route image Gu1). In this way, by controlling to change the display mode before and after approaching a course change point such as an intersection, the driver, who is the viewer, can intuitively and more easily grasp the distance to the course change point (the bending point of the first virtual image) such as an intersection. In other words, it is possible to provide a display control device that enables the driver, who is the viewer, to intuitively and correctly recognize the sense of distance between the course change point such as an intersection where the vehicle should turn right or left and the vehicle, by the second virtual image that has been given thickness and has a sense of depth.

[0084] Furthermore, the vehicular display system of this embodiment is, for example, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a vehicular display system 1000 having a head-up display device (HUD device 100) that projects and displays virtual images (route image Gu1, AR images Gu2, Gu3) superimposed on the foreground in a display area VA, which is an imaging surface virtually set in front of the vehicle 1, a display control device 300 that generates the virtual images and controls their display on the HUD device 100, and a navigation device 400 that provides route guidance information to the display control device 300. In the vehicular display system 1000, the display control device 300 displays, on a head-up display device (HUD device 100), a first virtual image (route image Gu1) having a bending point be in the vicinity of a lane change point of the vehicle 1, consisting of an arrow shaft (shaft s) extending toward the bending point be, and indicating the traveling direction of the vehicle, and a second virtual image (AR image Gu2) whose display position changes along the first virtual image (route image Gu1) and stops in the vicinity of the bending point be of the first virtual image (route image Gu1) when the vehicle 1 approaches the lane change point, as shown in FIG. 4(a), for example. When the vehicle 1 is moving along the road, the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is displayed in a first display mode (see FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b)) in which the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is perceived as floating upward parallel to the road surface, and when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point, a second virtual image (AR image Gu3) is generated by adding thickness in the opposite direction (to the right in the horizontal direction of the angle of view) to the traveling direction indicated by the arrowhead (ah) portion of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and the second virtual image (AR image Gu3) is displayed on the head-up display device (HUD device 100) in a second display mode (see FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b)) in which the second virtual image (AR image Gu3) is perceived as floating vertically along the first virtual image (route image Gu1).

[0085] According to the vehicle display system 1000 of this embodiment, when the vehicle 1 is moving toward a lane change point such as an intersection, the display control device 300 generates a second virtual image (AR image Gu2) in a first display mode (for example, see Gu2 shown in Figures 4(a) and (b)) in which the second virtual image (AR image Gu2) is perceived as floating upward parallel to the road surface, and when the vehicle 1 approaches a lane change point, the display control device 300 generates a second virtual image (AR image Gu3) with thickness added in the opposite direction (to the right in the horizontal direction of the angle of view) to the direction of travel indicated by the arrowhead (ah) portion of the first virtual image (route image Gu1), and controls the HUD device 100 to display the second virtual image (AR image Gu3) in a second display mode (for example, see Gu3 shown in Figures 5(a) and (b)) in which the second virtual image (AR image Gu3) is perceived as floating vertically along the first virtual image (route image Gu1). In this way, by controlling to change the display mode before and after approaching a course change point such as an intersection, the driver, who is the viewer, can intuitively and more easily grasp the distance to the course change point (the bending point of the first virtual image) such as an intersection. In other words, it is possible to provide the vehicular display system 1000 that enables the driver, who is the viewer, to intuitively and correctly recognize the sense of distance between the course change point such as an intersection where the vehicle should turn right or left and the vehicle, by the second virtual image that has been given thickness and has a sense of depth.

[0086] The present invention is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments, and those skilled in the art could easily modify the above-described exemplary embodiments to the extent that they fall within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 100 Head-up display device (HUD device), 110 Control unit, 120 Image display unit, 121 Liquid crystal display, 122 Relay optical system, 200 Processing unit (processor), 300 Display control device, 400 Navigation device, 401 Behavior sensor, 402 Camera, 403 LiADR, 404 Eye position sensor, 500 I / O interface, 1000 Vehicle display system, VA Display area, Gu1 Route image (first virtual image), Gu2, Gu3 AR image (second virtual image), Sh1 Shaded image, s Arrow shaft portion, be Bend point, ah Arrowhead portion

Claims

1. A head-up display device that projects and displays a virtual image on a display area, which is an image forming surface virtually set in front of a vehicle, by superimposing the virtual image on a foreground, an image display unit that displays a first virtual image having a bending point near a lane change point of the vehicle, consisting of an arrow shaft portion extending toward the bending point, and superimposed on a road surface to indicate a traveling direction of the vehicle, and a second virtual image whose display position changes along with the first virtual image and is displayed stagnantly near the bending point when the vehicle approaches the lane change point; a control unit that controls the second virtual image to be displayed on the image display unit in a first display mode in which the second virtual image is perceived as floating upward parallel to the road surface when the vehicle is moving toward the lane change point, and to generate the second virtual image by adding a thickness in a direction opposite to the direction of travel indicated by the arrowhead portion of the first virtual image when the vehicle is approaching the lane change point, and to display the second virtual image on the image display unit in a second display mode in which the second virtual image is perceived as floating vertically along the first virtual image when the vehicle is moving toward the lane change point.

2. The control unit is When the vehicle is moving toward the lane change point and a traveling direction of the vehicle and a moving direction of the second virtual image are the same, the second virtual image is displayed in the first display mode; 2 . The head-up display device according to claim 1 , wherein, when the vehicle approaches the lane-changing point and changes lane, control is performed to display the second virtual image in the second display manner.

3. The control unit is When the vehicle is moving toward the lane change point and a traveling direction of the vehicle and a moving direction of the second virtual image are the same, the second virtual image is displayed in the first display mode; 2. The head-up display device according to claim 1, wherein when the vehicle approaches the lane change point and the second virtual image stagnates near the bend point, control is performed to display the second virtual image in the second display manner.

4. A display control device including a processing device, to which a head-up display device that projects and displays a virtual image superimposed on a foreground is connected to a display area that is an image formation surface virtually set in front of a vehicle, The processing device includes: a first virtual image having a bend point near a lane change point of the vehicle, consisting of an arrow shaft portion extending toward the bend point, and indicating a traveling direction of the vehicle, the first virtual image being displayed superimposed on a road surface; and a second virtual image whose display position changes along with the first virtual image and which is displayed stagnantly near the bend point when the vehicle approaches the lane change point, on the head-up display device; a display control device that controls the second virtual image to be displayed on the image display unit in a first display mode in which the second virtual image is perceived as floating upward parallel to the road surface when the vehicle is moving toward the lane change point, and to be displayed on the image display unit in a second display mode in which the second virtual image is perceived as floating vertically along the first virtual image when the vehicle is approaching the lane change point, by generating the second virtual image by adding thickness in a direction opposite to the direction of travel indicated by the arrowhead portion of the first virtual image, and by controlling the second virtual image to be displayed on the image display unit in a second display mode in which the second virtual image is perceived as floating vertically along the first virtual image when the vehicle is moving toward the lane change point.

5. A display system for a vehicle includes a head-up display device that projects and displays a virtual image superimposed on a foreground in a display area that is an imaging plane virtually set in front of a vehicle, a display control device that generates the virtual image and controls the display on the head-up display device, and a navigation device that provides route guidance information to the display control device, The display control device includes: a first virtual image having a bend point near a lane change point of the vehicle, consisting of an arrow shaft portion extending toward the bend point, and indicating a traveling direction of the vehicle, the first virtual image being displayed superimposed on a road surface; and a second virtual image whose display position changes along with the first virtual image and which is displayed stagnantly near the bend point when the vehicle approaches the lane change point, on the head-up display device; The vehicle display system controls the image display unit to display the second virtual image in a first display mode in which the second virtual image is perceived as floating upward parallel to the road surface when the vehicle is moving toward the lane change point, and to generate the second virtual image by adding thickness in a direction opposite to the direction of travel indicated by the arrowhead portion of the first virtual image when the vehicle is approaching the lane change point, in a second display mode in which the second virtual image is perceived as floating vertically along the first virtual image.

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